World Food Market Tour Photo Essays

Indian Food Market Tour

Come take a tour of Apna Bazaar with Seattle-area cooking teacher Karuna. I met Karuna when I worked at Cook's World. She teaches at cooking schools but also offers classes in her home as well. Her food is delicious and focuses on healthful ingredients and methods. Check out her site!

Apna Bazaar

Apna Bazaar is located in Bellevue:

2245 148th Avenue Northeast
Bellevue, WA 98007
(425) 644-6887

Indian Grocery Store Demystified

Karuna was so gracious and spent I think about two hours with me in the store! Even so, of course it's not possible to cover everything. This guide might be something you'd also want to look at for a deeper dive in this cuisine after taking a look through this essay. I'll be referencing the author, Linda Bladholm, in some of these captions. The book is available at the Seattle Public Library.

Bulk Foods

Apna has a bulk section with spices, legumes and rice. Karuna notes that unlike the bulk goods you might get at a store like, say, PCC, these will require being cleaned and picked through pretty well. That said, if you are just getting started with Indian cooking, Karuna suggested it might be well worth a little extra elbow grease to be able to buy a small quantity of the different rices and lentils so that you can try them out to determine which you like best.

Spices and Seasonings

Spices are key to Indian cooking. They provide flavor, color, and health benefits. Here are some basics to start with.

Cardamom - Black and Green

The store carries both black and green cardamom (elaichi). The green is the flavor most non-Indian-cooking folks are more familiar with, and is used in both savory and sweet (like Chai) preparations. You generally use the seeds inside the outer pod, but they lose their flavor quickly so best to keep stored in pod until ready for use. When using, toast the entire pod in a dry pan, then you can crack the pod to release the seeds for grinding. Karuna noted she's not a fan of the black cardamom. It's generally used in savory preparations only and has a hot, astringent, peppery quality. In addition to its culinary flavoring purposes, cardamom is thought to be helpful with digestion.

Cinnamon & Cassia

The store sells both cassia (aka "bastard cinnamon", above) and true cinnamon (below). Karuna prefers the true cinnamon.

Here's a note from Wikipedia: "Cassia sticks can be distinguished from true cinnamon sticks in the following manner: cinnamon sticks have many thin layers and can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder, whereas cassia sticks are extremely hard, are usually made up of one thick layer, and can break an electric spice or coffee grinder if one attempts to grind them without first breaking them into very small pieces."

Common Spices

Here are some of the classic spices used in Indian cooking. The spices are used for flavorings, of course, but Karuna also noted that much of Indian cooking is built around Ayurvedic principles, so they are also being used to help maintain good health. Once you get into Indian Cooking, these larger packages might be a good value, especially when you compare them to grocery store prices, without requiring the same cleaning that you might need to do with the bulk. Karuna thought these brands were some good ones to look for. For all of these, check the packages closely to be sure the seeds seem plump and not shriveled or wrinkled.

Coriander = Dhania. Seed of the cilantro plant, it shares some of that leaves' lemony brightness. Bladholm notes "It is a major component of many ground spice mixtures, curry powders, and curries...It also aids digestion, reduces flatulence, and eases headaches."
Cumin = Jeera. Along with coriander, one of the most widely-used flavors. Peppery, savory. Believed to help with digestion, & is used as a sort of tea for colds/fevers.
Mustard seeds = Rai. Indian cooking tends to use this darker brown seed, but the lighter tan kind can be substituted if that's what you have on hand.
Tumeric = Haldi. You can find fresh whole tumeric at some of our local Asian markets (it looks like a big ginger) but in Indian cooking you will likely mainly find it dried and ground. Tumeric is used extensively, both for its flavor/color, but also for food preservation and its antiseptic qualities. It's also thought to be a blood purifier. Bladholm describes it as having a "pungent, acrid, scorched-earth aroma and a musky, butter taste." Also be careful! Tumeric can stain.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek = methi. These are technically a legume. Often prominent flavor in curry powders. A powerful flavor that can be tempered by roasting or frying briefly. Aids digestion and chronic coughs, might also have positive effect on blood sugar.

Calonji

Calonji. They are roasted and ground or fried in oil before other ingredients are added. Bladholm says that a paste made with the seeds is said to relieve the sting of a scrorpion. News you can use.

And cross-cultural moment! These were also used in a recipe by my friend and Turkish cook Pinar. In Turkey they're called "corek otu" and used in the savory pastry Catal Corek.

Amchur

Amchur is dried mango. It's sold both whole, like this, or powdered.

Their flavor, to me, is equidistant between dried apricot and Sour Patch Kid.

What I like about the idea of this particular seasoning is that it is a tart, bright flavor that you can keep as a pantry staple. Sometimes I make something - maybe Indian or Mexican - that feels like it needs a little brightness, and I check in my produce drawer to realize I have no citrus on hand. I think a little of this ground up and mixed in would serve a similar function but without the ticking clock aspect of fresh produce.

If you add amchur early in cooking, its flavor is deeper, Bladholm says. She also notes it's also used to tenderize meat before cooking and "is added to crumb coatings for fried fish." (Yum! That must be like the coating comes with its very own squeeze of lemon pre-installed!) It's the main flavoring in chaat masala. It will keep for up to a year in airtight container.

Panch Puran - Five-Spice Blend

Panch Puran = Five-spice blend ("panch" means five). Common in cuisines of Bengal and Bangladesh. Bladholm says it is "bittersweet with an aromatic, earthy aroma."

Typically fried (whole, not ground) in oil to release the aromas, then other ingredients added. Here's a recipe for ghonto, a vegetable dish flavored with panch puran, and a little more about Bengali cuisine.

Chilies

Karuna notes: "The thin, long peppers are close to cayenne and are medium spicy. Names like Pari, Sanam, etc., represent chilies from different regions of South India (equivalent to cayenne, habanero) etc. The smaller round chilis are super spicy. As with all chilies - first experiment with less and add more as needed (if you are adding whole - it will be less spicy) if you split and expose the seeds- medium spicy, if you grind it into the masala, then it can be super spicy."

asafoetida1-1.jpg

Asafoetida is comes from the dried sap of stems and roots of this plant. It is sold either in lumps, granules or a powder in which its been combined with rice flour and tumeric. It's an important spice in Ayurveda, one whose powerful sulfurous raw smell is apparently matched by its numerous health benefits.

As Wikipedia notes: "This spice is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment and in pickles. Its odour, when uncooked, is so strong that it must be stored in airtight containers; otherwise the aroma will contaminate other spices stored nearby. However, its odour and flavor become much milder and more pleasant upon heating in oil or ghee, acquiring a taste and aroma reminiscent of sautéed onion and garlic."

In fact, the spice is used to replace alliums by followers of Jainism and Vaishnavism, who do not eat them for religious reasons. Bladholm thinks the cooked spices "rounds out the flavor" of dishes, and "imparts a truffle-like essence."

Karuna noted the health benefits of this powder and recommends adding it often in very small quantities to your dishes. It's believed to help with digestion (especially flatulence) and respiratory problems. At Apna, the asafoetida is not kept with the other spices, but is instead on an endcap of an aisle.

Spice Mixtures

The store also has a wide variety of pre-packaged spice mixtures, which Karuna thinks are just fine to use, but she recommends you use much less spice than the instructions indicated. Maybe even quarter it, and then add more if it seems like it needs more flavor. I can vouch for this, having tried the Shan brand of pav bhaji spice. It was delicious, but following the instructions left me with an over-seasoned dish.

Karuna notes there is a spice made by the MDH brand that is called "Kitchen King." It wasn't there that day, but she's seen it there before and says it's a good basic blend.

Here's a recipe for Tandoori Chicken from Karuna that is an example of how to use a packaged spice blend in your home cooking.

Lentils/Dals/Legums

The use of lentils and legumes in Indian cooking makes it especially affordable and healthy. It can be a little overwhelming, though, to the novice to know where to start. Here's a quick review of some common ones.

Again, Karuna recommends getting a cup or two from the bulk section when starting with a new legume. If you enjoy it, then you might want to consider moving on to these larger packages.

Also, both Karuna and Archana, another local native chef cooking teacher, strongly recommend investing in a pressure cooking for faster cooking and retention of nutrients.

Cooking Chart

Check out this chart (you might need to zoom in using the Google books functionality) for some legume cooking info.

Toor Dal

Toor Dal or Pigeon Peas, one of the most common lentils, is especially popular in South India. They come oiled (more on that in a sec) and unoiled. The flavor of pigeon peas is mild, but I must admit, as a person who grew up mainly on brown and green lentils - and who is not always a pea fan - there is a hint of pea flavor to them that took me a while to get accustomed to.

Toor dal paired with spinach seems to be a common preparation. Here's Karuna's delicious recipe for this.

It's hard to see in my terrible photograph, but Karuna gave a really helpful tip for how she selects lentils. If you can at all see, the bag on the left has slightly smaller, darker lentils, whereas the one on the right is larger and paler. Karuna said if you have the choice between the two, pick the smaller, darker ones as they are probably fresher.

Toor Dal Oily

Toor dal can sometimes be found "oily" which means it's been preserved in castor oil to help prevent weevils. It tastes the same as regular, but needs to be soaked in hot water and rinsed prior to cooking.

Masoor Dal

Masoor Dal=Red lentils. One of my favorites! They have a lovely mild flavor, and are the fastest to cook. They should be picked over and rinsed, but don't need soaking.

When they're cooked, they become yellow and mushy. I tried this masoor dal recipe this weekend and it turned out pretty well, simple to make and delicious. And here's an additional easy and delicious recipe from Karuna.

As mentioned previously, Karuna noted that much of Indian cooking takes into account Ayurvedic principles, but that's not the only way in which it's healthy. Legumes are an incredibly healthy food, she noted, with fiber to help stabilize blood sugar. Eating traditional Indian home cooking seems to be a fairly easy - and flavorful! - way to be eating more healthfully without feeling deprived.

Channa

Kabuli channa is dried chickpeas. Chanadal or channa dal is the chickpea, skinned and split. The whole ones can be used in curries and snacks. Karuna said to look for plump varieties that do not seem excessive shrivelled. Karuna has a delicious recipe for Channa (or Chole) Masala I made this weekend and it's awesome.

Channa dal is, according to Bladholm, the legume most likely to cause flatulence, so it's usually cooked with asafoetida. It's often paired with bottle gourds or other squashes. Here is a sweet preparation of the channa dal called channa dal payasam. It's cooked with cashews, coconut, and jaggery, a form of unrefined sugar sold in cones and blocks.

Kala Channa

Kala chana or channa are black chickpeas, a relative of the white chickpea. Bladholm says they have a "strong earthy aroma, and a pleasant, nutty taste." She also notes the peas color the curries it's cooked in, resulting in a rich brown stew.

Here's a tasty-sounding Black Channa Curry recipe from Karuna.

Urad

Three versions of the same lentil, whole, skinned and split with skins.

The whole ones with skins are used in vegetable dishes, the skinned and split ones are often ground and used in batter for dishes like idli and dosa. Bladholm notes that the black ones have a "strong, raw, earthy smell" while the split ones have a more bland taste. She also says that they all "release an unctuous, gluey liquid that gives a dish a thick, creamy texture." Here's a dish called dal mahkani; it's made with the whole black ones.

Moong Dal

Moong dal are mung beans. Karuna again noted be sure to look for plump beans without shrivelled and wrinkled skins. The whole ones are cooked in thick dals but are also often sprouted. Split ones (not pictured) are used like other lentils. Split mung beans with skin are called chilke moong.

Phool Makhana

Karuna says: "It is actually called Phool Makhana if you are searching for recipes - and it is popped or puffed lotus seeds - and it looks like popcorn. It can be used to make a curry." Here's a curry recipe you could try.

Rice and Flour

Legumes are usually paired with a starch like rice or a bread for a complete meal.

Basmati Rice

Basmati is the main rice of Indian cuisine, with long, aromatic, and separate grains. Two of the basmati rice brands Karuna likes best are Royal and Tilda. Note the price difference, though; the Royal is Karuna's everyday rice. Basmati is aged to improve its aroma and flavor, and according to Bladholm, can be aged for up to ten years. These will need to be picked over and rinsed.

Brown Basmati

I asked Karuna what she thought about brown rice, but she's not a fan, at least not for creating traditional rice dishes. The flavor of the rice is so strong, it overwhelms the more subtle flavors used in rice dishes. It was a little surprising to me, since so much of Indian cooking seems to be about maximizing nutritional value, but since the rice is often paired with a legume or with vegetables, one imagines the glycemic index is usually being offset by that.

Masoori Rice

Sona masoori rice is a much shorter-grained rice than basmati, and is available in large sacks or in bulk, in case you want to give it a shot in a small quantity. According to Wikipedia: "Sona Masuri is largely considered to be a healthy dish as it contains less starch and is easily digestible. It is ideal for preparing dishes like sweet pongal, biryani, and fried rice & even daily cooking."

Karuna: "Sona Masuri rice is to South Indians what Jasmine Rice is to Thailand."

Idli Rice

At the store, idli rice is sold in both sacks and bulk. The rice is used in a flour to make an eponymous cake.

From Wikipedia: "Idli is a south Indian savory cake popular throughout India. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are more readily metabolized by the body. Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idlis are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments. Mixtures of crushed dry spices such as milagai podi are the preferred condiment for idlis eaten on the go."

Flour

Atta is a whole wheat flour used for roti and chapati.

Maida Atta

Maida is processed white flour and atta is the whole wheat flour. This bag is stressing its whole grain virtue.

Pantry Staples & Prepared Foods

Apna also has a lot of prepared foods to help you make quick Indian meals.

Ginger Paste

Ginger garlic paste is in a important based in Indian cooking. While Karuna always makes her own, she thinks that picking up a jar might be handy for a novice Indian cook, as having it on hand while you're learning will help cut down on prep time.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is another ingredient featured periodically in Indian cooking. Karuna likes this brand. Here's a recipe from Karuna for Coconut Milk Rice.

Gingelly Oil

Gingelly oil is sesame oil, one of the most common cooking oils in Indian cooking. Not to be confused with the darker (and much MUCH more expensive) toasted sesame oil that used as a flavoring/finishing oil in Asian cooking.

Ghee

As for storebought ghee - the clarified butter that is such a staple in the Indian diet? Karuna can't really fully recommend the storebought kind, but if you do buy, check for something that looks like genuine butter, as on the right, and is not a uniform pale solid mass like on the left. But probably just make your own.

Paneer

The store also has paneer in stock.

Idly Batter

If you wanted to try some freshly-made Indian breads and cakes but feel a bit daunted by the idea of making the rice and lentil flours yourself, you could start with some pre-made batter. This might also be a good way to practice your technique in the cooking of them. The store also sells yogurt, Karuna actually usually makes her own at home. I've had her homemade yogurt and it's delicious!

Bread

Or you could just buy some entirely pre-made bread.

Frozen Foods

Karuna and I didn't talk much about the frozen section, but I heard from another Indian cooking teacher, Archana, that she does occasionally buy their frozen meals as a time-saver and finds them to be tasty. This might also be a way to try some dishes before you make a recipe, without having to spend the money of going to a restaurant.

Shelf-Stable Meals

Karuna also doesn't have much call to use these pre-packaged meals. I have gone on a pav bhaji comparison bender sometimes, and there really is a marked difference in flavor/texture/consistency between brands. So if you try a new dish via one of these ready-made meals and don't like it, it still might be worth also checking another brand. One note of caution - Karuna pointed out the high sodium content of these meals.

Yucca Chips

This is another one of those foods I'm familiar with from a completely different context, i.e., being from the southwestern US. But yucca - aka cassava - is also used in India. This is a snack food.

Snacks

Karuna picked up a bag of these spicy snacks for herself. Pro tip!

Pickles

The variety of pickles is pretty astounding! Karuna and I both thought that might be something a beginning chef might not be as interested in, but if you like pickles, check them out!

Cooking Tools

You can buy cooking tools here too, including those recommended pressure cookers.

Produce

Apna is a great spot to pick up different vegetables that you might not commonly see in other grocery stores.

Curry Leaves

Fresh curry leaves (meetha neem) are on offer in the Apna produce section. A unique and indispensible flavor for Indian cooking, and hard to find elsewhere. Look for healthy, unbruised leaves.

Chilies

The thai chilies on the left are smaller and spicier than the chilies on the right.

Snake Gourd

Snake Gourd. From Bladholm: Mild, quick-cooking, absorbent. Peeled, split open, seeded and cut into chunks. Cooked in dals in North India, in hot, spicy soups & lentil stews. Stuffed with spiced minced meat and baked or simmered in coconut milk with spices. Look for firm, hard ones and store for up to 4 days. From Wikipedia: "Its soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the loofah and the calabash/bottle gourd...The shoots, tendrils, and leaves are also eaten as greens."

Here's a recipe for a lentil masala with snake gourd you could try.

Bottle Gourd

Doodhi, ghiya, lau, louki. Some tips from Bladholm: best to buy small, slightly immature ones, 8-12 inches in length. Store in fridge 2 weeks. Skin will be paper-thin and seeds will underdeveloped. Older, larger ones must be peeled and the seeds scooped out. When cooked, flesh in tender and slightly sweet. Chunks added to dals, curries and soups. Slices battered, deep-friend served in yogurt. Dessert w/evap milk, sugar and ghee. Thin slices are sometimes added to broth for indigestion. Here's a recipe for a curry using it.

Bitter Melon

Karela, bitter melon or balsam pear. From Bladhom: More jagged and narrower than Chinese variety of bitter melon. Brighter green and younger are better. Older, yellowish ones are tough with fibrous cores. When young, the whole gourd is eaten, including pith and seeds. In older ones, scrape out seeds.

Eaten raw, thinly sliced in salads or added to rich spicy curries to mellow bitterness. Stir-fried w/spices and lime juice, deep-fried into crunchy chips. Bengalis - soup, punjabis slit and stuff with spicy mashed potatoes or ground almonds and pan-fry. Pickled w/garlic & tamarind. Salt or blanch to reduce bitterness. Small, firm, shiny. Avoid overripe, soft yellowish.

From SFist: "I grew up with bitter melons and love their taste," begins Madhur Jaffrey in World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking. But she finishes that thought ominously: "I know that it is not easy for most Americans to eat them."

Chayote

Chayote has a lot of aliases: "chuchu, sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, vegetable pear, and pear squash." It's used in lots of different cuisines, I'm familiar with it from Mexican and Southern cooking, but it's also used in Indian cuisine too. It has a bright mild flavor and its texture is slightly crisp.

Here's some more info and a recipe for a curry using this.

Ridged Gourd or Loofah

Ridged gourd. Sinqua. Aka loofah, like the exfoliating sponge. Peel the skin and ridges, and cut the soft inside lengthwise. As you might expect with a sponge, soaks up flavors well. Bladholm notes it goes well with green peppers, peas and tomatoes. Use quickly, will toughen after 2-3 days. Here's a curry recipe using it.

Tindora

Tindora. Bladholm says "Mild, zucchini flavor." You can julienne and stir-fry, pan-fry, and/or pickle. Pick firm ones without wrinkles and keep for up to four days in paper or plastic bag.

Dosekai

Dosakai: yellow cucumber. Used in currys, pickles and chutneys.

Eggplant or Brinjal

Eggplants aka brinjal. Does not have the seeds of Western eggplant, so is less bitter. Buy firm ones with few blemishes and can store for up to a week. Here is a Madhur Jaffrey recipe for a sweet-and-sour eggplant.

Indian Broad Beans

Karuna says: "Indian Broad Beans ( Avarakkai in Tamil / Chikkudukai in Telugu / Sem in hindi / Avarekayi in Kannada / Avara in Malayalam ) - Can be used like green beans - takes a little longer to cook."

Cluster Beans

From Mahanandi: "These cluster beans (gawar) are available in Indian grocery shops, both fresh and frozen here in US. They are eaten whole and have a delicate flavor, providing they are not overcooked. Even the young, fresh cluster beans need to be topped and tailed and may also need stringing." Click the link for a recipe.

Continue the Tour!

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(Sorry for the interruption, the system only allows so many photos per page.)

Methi/Fenugreek

These are the leaves of the fenugreek (methi) plant, and can be used as a vegetable like other leafy greens. Bladholm says "avoid overgrown, extralarge leaves" as they will be tough and bitter. You can remove bitterness by salting the leaves for about an hour and rinsing well before using. Here's a recipe you could try Methi Leaves Sambhar.

Malabar or Chinese Spinach

Malabar or Chinese Spinach. From Wikipedia: "Typical of leaf vegetables, Malabar spinach is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber, thought to remove mucus and toxins from the body. Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fries with garlic and chili peppers."

Pearl Onions

Karuna said that back home, pearl onions are actually the main onions used. They're too expensive to use in the same quantity here in the states, but Karuna said the flavor of them is so delicious and brings back memories of her mother's cooking. I cannot imaginge having the patience to peel all of those, but am curious how different the flavor is and might just have to try replacing my usual onions with them someday.

Plantains

Karuna says: "Raw plantains - can be used as a vegetable - stir fry, curries, chutneys, or fried into crispy chips."

chikku.jpg

Chikku aka sapodilla. This looks like a potato, but it's a fruit. Bladholm says "The flesh is translucent honey brown to reddish yellow with a slightly granular texture. Juicy and fragrant, the sweet honey-pear flesh melts in your mouth." For best flavor, they should be soft and very ripe. The tree that produces this fruit also produces chicle, used in gums (i.e., Chiclets!). Bladholm also notes it's said to be the fruit that Krishna favored.

Movie

Indian musical on the screen above the produce section. It is a fitting image with which to say "The End." A million thanks to Karuna for all of her time and for sharing her knowledge and culture and to Apna Bazaar for allowing us to photograph in the store. Please do check them out if you are inspired to cook some of the recipes from this slideshow!